Years after watching the television series “Grey’s Anatomy,” I can still recall how mesmerized I was with Sarah Drew’s performance as Dr. April Kepner. Since working nine seasons on the hit ABC series, Drew has continued to act, as well as write, direct and produce.
But when I met Drew in person, I knew instantly that being a mom is her greatest gig. Her home, where we did our cover photo shoot, is filled with family photos and her kids’ artwork and projects. Holiday photos formed a collaged halo around the living room fireplace. Drew pointed to the montage and the twinkling lights draping the mantel and laughed. “I leave this up until April. It makes me so happy.”
We met with Drew in late January, a few weeks after the devasting fires that tore through vast swaths of Los Angeles County. Our chat spanned everything from evacuation orders to her career and parenting.
I want to begin with the fires that took over our city. The Eaton fire was close to you. Tell us a little about that night.
It was a very stressful night [that] Tuesday night. We lost power; the wind was howling and rattling the windows. We got the kids to bed and realized that our cell service had become super spotty, so downloading and keeping track of the Watch Duty app was nearly impossible. We felt a bit blind with where we were. I was glad I couldn’t sleep because a friend from Altadena texted me at 12:30, having just evacuated with no place to go, so she came to us. We woke up the next morning to discover that the Eaton fire had come dangerously close to us. We were on the edge of the evacuation line. The sky in the back of our house was clear and blue and the sky in front of our house looked like the apocalypse. It was very scary. We woke the kids up and packed up both of our cars, so we’d be ready to go. We all cried, the kids painfully choosing between stuffies.
How did you explain everything to your kids?
We talk about everything with the kids, so we told them the truth. We said we were pretty sure our house would be OK, but we needed to pack up all the things that mattered the most to us into the cars just in case. They were very emotional but committed to the task at hand.
We have seen such heartwarming stories of community members helping each other. What does community mean to you as a mom, an actor and a resident of our city that has endured so much in the past couple of months?
Community is everything to me. I think we realize how important it is in a tragedy like this. I was on multiple text threads, one of which is a group of women I’m honored to call friends. We all live scattered around town, so that thread was the first to blow up with everyone checking in on each other. This sweet group has rallied to meet the specific and tangible needs of friends and friends of friends. Going to our kids’ school the Friday after the fire started and connecting with the community there was life giving and beautiful. Going to church that Sunday was as well. We had a couple from church stay with us while waiting for an apartment to open up, and just being together has been so beautiful. So many small and large blessings pouring out around this town. It really is a city of angels.
Tell us a little about your childhood. Did you love performing from a young age?
I was an extremely lonely kid. I was bullied and had very few friends all the way until I started at a new school in 8th grade. I found great refuge in performing. There was (still is) something beautiful about wearing someone else’s life — knowing how that story will end. Acting and performing was a safe place to feel my very big feelings — and to be celebrated instead of rejected for feeling those feelings. My family was always a safe haven for me as well, and I certainly would not have been able to cultivate my love of the arts were it not for the unwavering support of my parents. As a teen, I was incredibly hard working, disciplined and passionate. I was singularly focused. I wanted to make a living as an actor. That desire was what fed everything I did. That and being extremely committed to my faith.
What would you tell your middle school self?
It gets so much better, I swear. This is the tiniest blip in the story of your life, and every pain you feel will make you strong and resilient and empathetic to those you meet along the way who feel as lonely as you do now. This is your superpower. You’ve got this.
Dr. April Kepner was one of our favorite characters on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Tell us about getting that part and your experience on the hit show.
I was offered the role of April without auditioning. I had just done a pilot for Shonda Rhimes that hadn’t gotten picked up, so they knew me well. April was only supposed to be there for two episodes. I was there to get fired at the end of my second episode, but the morning after my firing episode aired, I was asked to come back with the knowledge that it might become a series-regular position. I spent the rest of season 6 basically auditioning with every episode, hoping I’d have the chance to show them what I could do. The rest is history. April was a very different character at the beginning. She was written to be kind of grating and, as many fans commented, annoying. But, as time went on, I had the chance to make her my own, and the writers evolved her into someone strong and resilient and passionate and good. It was a joy to take her journey, and I’m grateful every day that I had those nine years to tell her story.
Many of our readers have kids who are interested in the entertainment industry. What advice do you have for parents and kids navigating this unique field?
Honestly, I would tell them all to hold off doing anything professionally until after college. I’ve just seen it go so wrong so many times, and sets are just not a good place for kids. I would encourage them to do what I did, which was to do as much school and community theater as possible. Get all the experience you can and allow it to be fun and to be playful. As soon as a kid is on set, there’s a stressful clock on them, and it doesn’t matter how they feel or if they need a nap — they need to do their work. It’s a lot of pressure for a kid, and I think it can kill some of the joy of the play of storytelling. I’m committed as a professional adult in this industry to keep playing every day I’m on set. No story sings without play being at the heart of it, in my opinion. But it can be hard work to remember to do that, work that a kid shouldn’t have to do. I say all that knowing full well that I’ve written kids into scripts, and we need kids to tell all the stories, but if it were my kid, I’d tell them to hold off.
What current projects are you most excited about?
My show “Mistletoe Murders,” which I star in and executive produce, is streaming on Hallmark+, and I’m so very proud of this show. It was a joyous experience to shoot, and it’s been so much fun seeing how much the audience has loved it. We are currently waiting for an official announcement for a season 2.
Tell us a little about your kids. What are some of your favorite activities to do together?
My son Micah (13) is as singularly focused on filmmaking and editing as I was on acting. He makes short films and teaches himself how to create special effects by watching YouTube tutorials. We’ll all be working for him one day. He’s also just gotten into Dungeons & Dragons and is creating an epic adventure that he’s writing himself for his birthday gathering. His birthdays are always a massive production in the absolute best way.
Hannah (10) is really into musical theater. She’s currently in two productions where she’s playing the lead in both. She’s always singing around the house (so is Micah, who also does musical theater) or dancing. She also loves to paint and draw. We love playing games together. Scattegories and Ransom Notes are among our favorites. All four of us are always involved in Micah’s short films, so that’s definitely a family affair.
How has parenthood changed you?
Fundamentally, it forced me to quit living just for myself. That can become exhausting at times, especially when the kids and their needs can be so overwhelming. But I also never really understood or was prepared for the friendship aspect of parenthood. Now that the kids are older, we have the best conversations, the most epic laughing fits and the biggest sob fests together. My love for them and the way their existence tethers me to [my husband] Peter even more than I was before is so epic.
[Parenting] is joyous and can also feel crushing, especially when they’re hurting or struggling. They keep me on my toes, and they force me to love in ways that are hard and beautiful and so challenging. They’re also able to cut me to the quick and expose the parts of myself that I know I need to change.
We are committed to repair after rupture in our family, which means that we don’t let the sun go down on our anger. Being in the practice of self-reflection so that I, too, take responsibility when I need to has really expanded my heart. I’m fundamentally changed because I’m a parent and I’m so grateful for that.
Best pieces of life and parenting advice you have received?
Leading up to our marriage, a mentor advised us to eliminate sarcasm from our relationship. It can so easily go from fun and games to deep, cutting pain that is unleashed when resentment builds up. Keeping sarcasm in check has really trained us to approach each other with kindness always. We truly never try to wound each other, even when angry. Best parenting advice: We’re all gonna do it differently, and we need to trust our gut.
